This invention relates generally to flexible packaging and more particularly to flexible packages for holding two paste-like or flowable materials in separate compartments for enabling the simultaneous dispensing of such materials from the package.
Flexible containers formed of sheet materials have gained wide acceptance in the trade for holding food products or other air-perishable materials therein. One common type of flexible package container is the so-called "stand-up" package. That package is arranged to be filled and sealed to isolate the contents of the package from the ambient atmosphere. Typically such packages are formed from a web of flexible stock material, e.g., polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, metal foil, and combinations thereof in single or multiple plies.
The following United States patents disclose various types of flexible stand-up packaging: U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,373 (Corella), U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,120 (Bell), U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,240 (Billman et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,743 (Larkin et al.). While the stand-up packages of these patents are generally suitable for their intended purposes, none is suitable for holding two flowable materials separately until joint dispensing of them is desired.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,278 (Beer) there is disclosed a flexible package having a hollow interior including a pair of compartments for holding respective granular or powdered products isolated from each other. The package is formed of flexible sheet material and in one embodiment comprises a front panel, a rear panel, and an intermediate panel. The front and rear panels each have a top edge portion, a bottom edge portion, and a pair of sides which are connected together. The bottom edge portions of the front and rear panels are sealed together. The intermediate panel has a pair of side edges and a bottom edge portion, with one of the side edges sealed to the package along one of the sides, and the other of the side edges is peelably sealed to the rear panel in one embodiment and to the front panel in another embodiment. The top edge portion of the intermediate panel is permanently sealed to the top edge portion of one panel and is peelably sealed to the top edge portion of the other panel. The bottom edge portion of the intermediate panel is permanently sealed to the front and rear panels. The space between the intermediate panel and the panel to which is peelably secured forms one compartment and the space between the intermediate panel and the other panel forms the other compartment. A hand peelable seal extends across the top portion of the panels to releasably seal the materials within the compartments and to enable the package to be readily peeled open to simultaneously pour the contents of the compartments therefrom.
Other prior art United States patents disclose flexible packages for holding two or more flowable materials in separate compartments, such as: U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,256 (Meyers), U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,767 (Newman), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,927 (Stupar).
While the plural-compartment packages of the aforementioned patents are generally suitable for their intended purposes, none is suitable for holding two flowable materials separately in a very stable, stand-up configuration.